The postal service in Finland is poised to release a batch of new stamps with a rather risqué theme — that of homosexual men sketched into erotic poses.
The stamps are aimed at honoring the now-deceased Finnish artist, Touko Laaksonen, or Tom of Finland, who spent his drawing career trying to capture the essence of gay relationships. The government-owned postal service, Itella Posti, is showcasing two of Mr. Laaksonen’s works on the stamps, The Blaze reported.
The government isn’t using the artist’s more graphic images — but one stamp will feature the bare backside of a man, The Washington Post said.
“[Laaksonen’s] emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion,” Itella Posti said, in a release. “In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humor typical of subcultures.”
The postal service is headlining the stamp collection with this billing: “Confident and proud homoeroticism,” The Blaze reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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