Self Inflicted Shame Consumes You, investigates the nature of shame within the context of my identity as a non binary, queer individual. The current political climate in the United States seeks to regulate, silence, and erase gender-queer voices while limiting their access to affirming care. Representing the shame and burden that comes with these attacks on our rights, I carry my body weight in rusted chains. Dragging and lifting the metal transcends the physical task to become a reflection of lived experience. The rust from each chain leaves remnants of the pain and resilience endured. Self Inflicted Shame Consumes You aims to reveal the internal shame and burdens that come with being a queer person in a world that wishes to expel those who do not conform.