Benjamin Spence
Staff Writer
“The sexual orientation of the men in the images don’t leave room for any interpretation.”
Finnish postal service Itella have announced three stamps that will pay homage to world famous artist Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen).
In a press release Itella said, “His emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion. In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humor typical of subcultures.”
The homoerotic drawings were created by Timo Berry, a graphic designer, who says they represent “A sensual life force and being proud of oneself.” He notes, “There is never too much of that in this northern country.”
Finland is a country that has banned same sex marriage. It therefore comes as no surprise that the idea of sticking a naked bum, with a male head between its legs, on their envelopes isn’t proving popular with all. The announcement has actually sparked a petition demanding the Tom of Finland range be cancelled.
The petition on adressit.com has already had over 2000 signatures. It states:
“NO Tom of Finland-stamps to Finland!
We, the signed, demand that Itella won’t publish the planned homoerotic stamp set. Itella plans to publish a stamp to honour artist and gay icon Touko Laaksonen (1920-1991). The sexual orientation of the men in the images don’t leave room for any interpretation.
We don’t want Finland to be represented on homeland and international shipping with homoerotic themes. Traditionally stamps have shown themes that are aesthetically beautiful and culturally valuable. Strong homoerotic theme in stamps is not either.
In the future we want Itella to think more carefully how to select themes that all Finns can be proud of. At the same time we want to thank them for all the beautiful stamps, we have been proud to use on our mail.”
Tom of Finland drew more than 3,500 pieces. The stamps are scheduled for release to coincide with the launch of the exhibition, “Sealed with a Secret – Correspondence of Tom of Finland” at Finland’s Postal Museum in September.
Keep Up With PopWrapped On The Web!
Author
