Sexually fluid deaf model and activist Nyle DiMarco has appeared on the cover of Gay Times magazine, spreading his message of love and inclusivity with a photo shoot that incorporates American Sign Language (ASL).
The winner of America's Next Top Model and Dancing With The Stars stripped down for photographer Taylor Miller, with the ASL sign for 'I Love You' painted across his body by artist Cacho Falcon.
Discussing the intersection of queerness and deafness, DiMarco : “Often, we are deprived of information due to lack of captioning. We miss important information."
He continues: “When an inspiring LGBTQ role model speaks at a huge LGBTQ event on national television, we miss that information. I think that does take a toll on our LGBTQ pride and can be easily fixed.”
“I believe we always need more education around the idea that sexuality is a spectrum. When a person asks me what being fluid means, I always tell them that there is no one right way to define fluidity.”
DiMarco goes on to open up about why he identifies as 'sexually fluid', saying he "always felt different".
"Growing up was a little difficult because I never talked about it and I didn’t have role models who were like me," he says.
"When I started talking about it, it got much easier. It helped me discover my identity."
"Talking about it also helped me realize that despite not having role models growing up, I could be one for the future generation.”
Photographer Taylor Miller also shared the colourful cover image on social media, saying it was "very special" to him.
"I’ve had this idea in my head since last year, and after months of planning it finally happened," he wrote on Instagram.
"Nyle is covered with the ASL symbol for 'I love You', something we think the world could use a lot of right now".
You can take a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot below:
