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# Celebrating Marriage Equality in the US with Tom of Finland
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/celebrating-marriage-equality-in-the-us-with-tom-of-finland/
- Published: 2015-06-26T22:26:52.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:59:28.000Z
- Description: Today the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage — henceforth known simply as "marriage" — is protected by the Constitution.
- Author: Jillian Steinhauer
- Tags: Opinion, Artists Space, Biography, Pride, Tom of Finland, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 07:08 (2014, 2015, part 2)

![Tom of Finland, "Untitled" (1976), graphite on paper (Collection Ulrich Tangermann, courtesy Artists Space)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2015/06/tof-untitled-globe.jpg)

Tom of Finland, “Untitled” (1976), graphite on paper (Collection Ulrich Tangermann, courtesy Artists Space)

Today the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage — henceforth known simply as “marriage” — is [protected by the Constitution](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html?ref=hyperallergic.com). It is a glorious day, and I was having trouble summing up just how incredible it felt until I saw this Tom of Finland image. YUP. Let queerness rule the world.

The image is part of the [current Tom of Finland exhibition](http://artistsspace.org/exhibitions/tom-of-finland?ref=hyperallergic.com) at Artists Space in New York, the most comprehensive survey of the artist’s mischievously masculine and homoerotic work to date. And it turns out there’s also a [movie](http://tomthemovie.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) being made about Tom, who worked as an adman by day and whose real name was Touko Laaksonen. Here’s a trailer for what looks like it will be a highly cheeky, titillating film (with [much winking and little fourth wall](http://tomthemovie.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com)):

The movie’s [website](http://tomthemovie.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com) says it’s coming in 2015; the production company’s [website](http://specialfilmcompany.fi/projects/?ref=hyperallergic.com) says 2016 — either way I can’t wait. The following year Helsinki may even get a [Tom of Finland statue](http://yle.fi/uutiset/move%5Fto%5Ferect%5Ftom%5Fof%5Ffinland%5Fstatue%5Fin%5Fhelsinki/7912066?ref=hyperallergic.com) in front of its new central library, if some city councilors have their way (also the year that Finland’s same-sex marriage bill will [go into effect](http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2015/02/finland-president-signs-marriage-equality-bill-law-takes-effect-in-2017/?ref=hyperallergic.com)). And don’t forget that Tom’s work already graces a set of [Finnish postal stamps](https://hyperallergic.com/homoerotic-art-of-tom-of-finland-celebrated-on-finnish-postal-stamps/).

Today in the US, we have marriage equality; tomorrow, let us start officially honoring our homoerotic heroes! (And Sunday, let us [march for Pride in New York](http://www.nycpride.org/events?ref=hyperallergic.com)!)