WATCH: Leo Herrera's 'Fortune Teller'

Artist/activist Leo Herrera has packed 50 years of gay life found on 100 video clips and images that have seeped into our consciousness in his work, "The Fortune Teller." The curated, five-minute video took approximately six months to create and he states that it intentionally has the style ofn Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" video or The Scissor Sister's "Let's Have a KiKi."

As Herrera writes: "...Homosexuality transcends culture, geography and race. Homophobia is the same in New York City as it is in Russia... Our sexual freedom is as reviled in America as in Uganda... And yet we are all moving forward on a global scale..." In his artist statement, he writes:

"This film was created with the hopes that every gay man can find something to identify with. The Fortune Teller does not attempt to be an all-encompassing history; the clips in the Fortune Teller were curated based on icons and moments that personally defined me as a gay man. Mexican singer Juan Gabriel was the first gay person I identified with as a child, I've sat many nights laughing at Kid Fury's preacher-like passion and razor wit, I still remember the first time I saw the androgynous Karis perform in the Scissor Sister's Filthy/Gorgeous video and thought "I can be that?!" or the moment Hedwig sang Wicked Little Town and reminded me of the unrequited love of high school. My work in HIV Criminalization has made me see how deeply ingrained the stigma of HIV is within our community and my wild nights in San Francisco's nightlife has shown me that a party can be a cathartic communal experience."

[hat tip to Towleroad]

The Fortune Teller: 50 Yrs of Gay in 5 Mins, By Leo Herrera from Herrera Images on Vimeo.