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Toruño envisions a future where queer children have access to mediums that depict them (and queer romance) instead of “being othered.” During her childhood, Toruño only had access to heteronormative television shows, and she feels that most queer characters depicted in the media struggle for
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depictions of romance in mainstream media convinced Toruño that she could only be allowed to marry a woman if she went to work and acted masculinely. Today, Toruño's femininity is a recurrent subject of her art, along with her relationship to another woman.
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Toruño showcases her art in public spaces to spark conversations within the community. She believes street art well suits this goal because it is free and accessible. Many of her posters are pasted in the same locations to evoke the feeling of
199:(Girls Without Shame) series, which consisted of three photos of Toruño and her girlfriend, Amy Quichiz. Toruño pasted this series all over New York's Lower East Side in 2018. The series eventually inspired fan art of Toruño and Quichiz.
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Due to her displacement from El
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Toruño was inspired by the political posters she grew up around in El
Salvador. In 2016 she began creating and gluing posters around New York City. The series initially had the title
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One of Toruño's goals is to spread her message across the United States, not just New York City. To do so, Toruño has spoken at colleges and hosted workshops in
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66:. Growing up in El Salvador during the civil war and its aftermath, Toruño often heard gunfire, and to this day the sound of fireworks unsettles her.
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acceptance, so she set out to create healthy, wholesome depictions of queer people and their relationships. This mission led Toruño to create the
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until 1999, at the age of 9, when she immigrated with her aunt. She arrived in the United States with only a few toys and her favorite
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when she immigrated to the US and became lonely because of this language barrier. Gradually, she taught herself
English by watching
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A string of violent incidents convinced Toruño's mother that they needed to flee the country. She would not join her mother in the
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She recognized at a young age how art could be used to amplify one's messages after seeing many political posters and murals.
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to “take up space.” In other words, she intended to promote queer visibility. Many of her works also include messages of
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but ultimately decided against it because she felt it was not possible for someone of her background.
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against a backdrop of white flowers. Toruño uses all caps on her posters to contrast her motif of
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to reach a global audience, and through that medium she has garnered over 50,000
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programs with subtitles. While watching these programs, Toruño questioned
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535:"Unapologetic: An Interview with Johanna Toruño | Broad Strokes Blog"
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series, as “ride or die.” In 2020, Toruño moved from New York to
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Mantini, Natalia; León, Concepción de; Lyons, Eve (2019-06-15).
474:"A Day In The Life Of Queer Latinx Street Artist Johanna Toruño"
399:"Artist Johanna Toruño Is Brown, Queer, and Unapologetic"
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convey messages of queer pride. For example, one reads:
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at the age of 15, and she spent the next three years on
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431:Toruño, Johanna (February 2020).
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