Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Email
“He used the name Tom, which was an English translation of Touko, and Bob Miser coined the name ‘of Finland,’ because at that time, within the homosexual culture, artists would use names like ‘Lon of New York’ or ‘Bruce of Los Angeles’ so it was very appropriate that he was ‘Tom of Finland.’”—Durk Dehner, co-founder, Tom of Finland Foundation
As Pride Month comes to a close, we take a look at the career of groundbreaking gay artist Touko Laaksonen, and how he became Tom of Finland. Known for his unabashed – not to mention uncensored – celebrations of gay culture at a time it was still widely shunned or even outlawed, Tom of Finland is widely connected with paving the way for gay liberation.
