This is Carmen. But those closest to him, including myself, know him as Matt. I remember meeting Carmen/Matt for the first time back when I was doing community theater. He was always so encouraging to me, was a fan of both my determination in acting and talent in my digital work, and I've gotten close to both him and his husband, Chris. I even let him borrow one of my feather earrings for one of his drag shows. Unfortunately, for two years, Matt has been battling ALS and just almost a week ago the battle finally ended...
...ALS won.
I have been planning to do an illustration of Carmen for months now and was only able to show Matt the rough sketch. It breaks my heart knowing that one of my best friends is gone. I still have dreams that Carmen will someday be on @rupaulsdragrace and her catchphrase "peace, love, and soulshine" would make it to the drag race dictionary. At least she's finally at ease.
Rest easy now, Carmen 💖