For today's edition of Gay Voices in The Huffington Post, the artist known as Homo Riot penned an essay/manifesto detailing how he and his work came to be.

Homo Riot in Halifax

My belief was, and still is, that that vote to take away the option of marriage for gays and lesbians was mostly a reaction to fear -- fear that if homos were allowed to legally marry and have their marriages recognized by the state as equal to those of straight people, then all manner of depravity would follow. Drag queens would parade outside churches, leather-clad men in chaps would fondle each other in front of Walmarts, and tattooed dykes with strap-ons would aggressively seek to convert teenagers to the "homosexual lifestyle." So I told myself that if that's what they were scared of, then I would bring it to them.

Until recently, street art has generally been a site- and city-specific form of expression. Although there have been instances of certain street-based art becoming global phenoms -- Andre the Giant has a posse comes to mind -- the speed at which Homo Riot spread outside Los Angeles is rather remarkable. I wrote about Homo Riot one year ago, and his work has continued to spread around the world. A quick look at his Tumblr will give viewers a look as to how much his work has resonated with so many people in so many places around the globe.  

Near the end of his essay, he states:

With my own street art, I had no idea of the impact it would have on people. In the same way that the Mormons and Orange County Republicans who financed the Prop 8 campaign couldn't have imagined that their hate and ignorance would spawn Homo Riot, I had no clue that my anger-fueled work would communicate positivity and pride.

I would argue that Homo Riot's work communicates more than positivity and pride. It also communicates a desire to be heard, in as many places and in as many ways as possible. It is how democracy and art and the free expression of ideas is spread in the 21st century.

The invitation was to the artist known as Homo Riot to send me some of his work that I could share it with my fellow Haligonians. Since that post was written, I recently did my own part and purchased some of Homo Riot's shirts, which I have proudly worn about town.

Lo and behold, what do I find in my mailbox this morning?

Let the #GlobalHomoRiot in Halifax begin.

Note: this is not an admission or promotion of vandalism.

Image via Homo Riot's tumblr

Two male heads, their eyes blank like Renaissance statues, created in a negative space of exploding stars around them. It was like watching two cartoon lucha libres embracing in a way never seen before. It was intense. It was sexualized. It was unapologetic.

And I wanted to know more.

Homo Riot is a person, an artist, a street-based expression, a motive, a website and a living meme. Started by a man who goes by the same name, Homo Riot images have popped up around the world, from its home base in Los Angeles to Paris and beyond. The riot started three years ago after Prop 8 was defeated. The artist felt a need to express himself, and so he did, in a way that didn’t limit him to art galleries or the internet (though those did come for him later). He took it to the streets.

Image via LA Weekly

Just last week, Homo Riot was profiled in LA Weekly. His images include the aforementioned kissing heads, his own version of a mannekin pis, fists with the artist’s name on the knuckles and more. It is a sexy revolt, taking place on streets around the world.

To Homo Riot, I say this: let me help you spread your revolution.

I have the perfect pole to post your ideas.

The city of Halifax, where I live, has these large poles used for postering in the city. They are meant to mimic (or pay homage, depending on who you ask) the city’s famed bell tower on the Citadel (itself a cruising ground). They were almost immediately dubbed “penis poles.”

To Homo Riot, I ask, let me slather your name on my pole.