BANGOR, Maine — To Kelley Fox, a semicolon is a writer’s choice not to stop, but to continue with a thought.
When people see the semicolon tattooed on her body, the 38-year-old Lee resident wants people not to stop talking, but to start discussing what she wants it to represent — the end of the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction.
“We want to start conversations, to bring about awareness,” Fox said Friday, “and to let people know that our suffering with these awful things that we do struggle with every day, is not over. We want people [who suffer from these things] to know that they are not alone. There is a group out there and they are all supporting each other with love and we have chosen to continue our stories.”
The nonprofit organization Fox represented, Project Semicolon, gave free semicolon tattoos at Forecastle Tattoo on State Street in exchange for donations for about four hours Friday. The line stretched out the door and around part of the block for most of the day.
A person wearing a semicolon tattoo, Fox said, could be suffering from mental illness or addiction or could be wearing a tattoo in support of others who are.
“Or it could be that they have lost a loved one,” Fox said.
Business was brisk at Forecastle. Tattoo artist Matt Moore took five to 10 minutes to buzz through the tattooing of each person.
Samantha Frost had her semicolon placed on her right wrist. She said she had five tattoos already. Marking your body with something permanent, such as a tattoo, is not a choice made lightly.
“It’s for my sister. She has asked us to come and get them,” Frost said. “It’s about family. Every one of my tattoos means something.”
Anyone wishing to donate to Project Semicolon or learn more about it can visit projectsemicolon.com.