The Story of the 2016 “Twinks for Trump” Photo Shoot
The photo project became one of the talked-about stunts of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Its creator, artist Lucian Wintrich, presented a series of homoerotic images in which young gay men pose in baseball caps with a pro-Trump slogan.
- Editorial team
In 2016, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, a photo project titled “Twinks for Trump” was presented. The series depicted young, slim gay men - often shirtless - wearing baseball caps that read “Make America Great Again.” The project drew mixed reactions from both supporters and critics of Donald Trump.
At the time, many viewers found it difficult to determine whether the work was sincere or subtly ironic. If it functioned as trolling (a deliberate provocation designed to bait and unsettle audiences), it was also unclear who the intended target was - Trump supporters or his opponents.
I slept with all of them. And I only sleep with beautiful people.
— Lucian Wintrich
The creator of the photo shoot was Lucian Wintrich - an American artist, openly gay, and supportive of conservative views (by American standards). He grew up in a creative family: his mother worked as an experimental film director, and his father owned a design and advertising company. His paternal grandfather, a Polish Jew, held the rank of lieutenant colonel at the Ministry of Defense (a government department overseeing the military). Wintrich also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science.
“Twinks for Trump” relied on stereotypes about young gay men and conservatives, deliberately combining these images. Wintrich described the work as satire and emphasized that “satire and comedy are powerful tools for crossing a cultural barrier - they help people think and look at familiar things in a new way.”
I don’t agree with everything the conservative platform proclaims, but I came to my views through reading and research, and of course there’s some personal subjectivity, because I’m a living, energetic person.
— Lucian Wintrich
The exhibition brought Wintrich attention beyond his hometown. Some media outlets treated the project as a conspicuous provocation, while supporters valued it for its boldness and its challenge to established social and political boundaries.
Being gay and conservative means you have to fight harder, read more, study more, because you’ll constantly be challenged. The words they throw at you are a way to shut someone up - through the politics of personal attacks, where many people on the left have become the new puritans. The moment someone on the left hears dissent and says, “Oh, that sounds conservative, so you’re a racist, a bigot, a neo-Nazi,” there will be no dialogue.
— Lucian Wintrich
Notably, many conservatives - including evangelical Christians - expressed support for the homoerotic series. At the same time, among left-leaning members of the LGBT community, the project provoked strong rejection. Wintrich was told the work was “disgusting,” and that by promoting such ideas he was becoming an enemy of gay people. Afterward, some friends stopped speaking to him.
In a community that works so hard to fight bullying and support young gay people so they feel accepted, they say: “Fine, now you’re accepted - but you must think like we do and speak like we do, or you won’t be accepted anymore.”
— Lucian Wintrich
Opponents of the project attempted to pressure Wintrich’s employer: his workplace reportedly received calls demanding that he be fired. Ultimately, he was dismissed, despite earlier plans to promote him. Wintrich sued, arguing that he was fired for political reasons, and later reached an out-of-court settlement.
It mattered to them that they get rid of me, even though all I said was that I believe in small government. Seriously, it’s just ridiculous. I got fired when I came out… as a supporter of Donald Trump.
— Lucian Wintrich
Wintrich’s work was shown in several New York galleries, though some venues declined to work with him because of the controversial nature of the series. The well-known Pierogi Gallery, for example, canceled his exhibition at the last moment. The gallery owner explained the decision by saying he had been “misled” about the content of the works.
Wintrich, for his part, argued that the gallery yielded to public pressure. According to him, the venue received around a hundred letters sharply criticizing the project. “This is the first time since Robert Mapplethorpe that a gallery has tried to limit artistic freedom of expression,” he said at the time.
A prominent conservative politician and openly gay man, Milo Yiannopoulos, publicly supported Wintrich: “The reaction of the LGBT community to Lucian and his fellow artists is embarrassing. How can a movement devoted to self-expression, pride, and diversity be so categorically against diversity of opinion?”
You go to conservative rallies and they’re like a church service. Speech, applause. Speech, applause. You won’t see drag performers on our side. The right should be able to have more fun than the left.
— Akbar, one of the twinks in the photo shoot
In 2017, Wintrich became the first White House correspondent for The Gateway Pundit. In that role, he actively criticized various media outlets and mocked them for bias, often posting sharp comments on social media. In 2018, he left the publication. Since then, he has worked on various projects in the media space.
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