Angela DeCarlis, a “non-binary” adjunct art professor at the University of Florida, is organizing a workshop for 20 “trans and nonbinary” children to learn how to draw “diverse models” who are members of the “LGBTQ,” “fat,” and “disabled” communities, according to a lauding report by the UF Alligator.
“It’s really important for the models who have been oppressed on the basis of their appearance to have the opportunity to be seen,” the professor told the campus newspaper.
The three-day workshop will feature a live model named Brooke Hull, who identifies as “fat, trans, and non-binary.”
The casting call for models encouraged “anybody who’s excited about the idea of posing for artists and who holds at least one oppressed identity or marginalized identity” to apply.
While it may be the case that Hull will come out of the workshop in an “excited” mood, what about the children who are being subjected to this nonsense? Are they attending by choice? Did their parents force them to sign up? Can a minor truly consent to spending three days in a room with a barely clothed woman?
While figure drawing is a widely accepted feature of art programs at the college level, allowing children to participate is not.
“I find it very concerning that this professor is inviting so many children into a room with a barely clothed woman,” UF Young Americans for Freedom Chairwoman Caitlyn McCoy told the New Guard.
Neither DeCarlis nor the University of Florida responded to the New Guard’s request for comment. It is unclear whether or not the workshop is happening on university grounds or if the institution is sponsoring it in any way.
