Queer photography has always offered an eye into the lives of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it’s documenting the struggles of our oppression, the moments where we’ve edged closer to equality or capturing the joy of same-sex eroticism, there’s no denying the importance of the photographic art form. It seeks to dilute the sense of othering that queer people face, and lets cis-het individuals know that we, too, are human.
Since the Stonewall riots in New York in June 1969, a breadth of queer image-makers have made their mark. Work by the likes of Robert Mapplethorpe, Alvin Baltrop and Honey Lee Cottrell (to name a few) have stood the test of time in showing that queer individuals have a place in the past, present and future, and it’s a place worth fighting for.
As we kickstart this year’s Pride celebrations to honour our LGBTQ+ siblings, eight queer photographers share their hopes for the future, from the funding of trans healthcare to the building of new physical safe spaces.
1. Mengwen Cao
Instagram: @MengwenCao
Age: 30
Location: born in Hangzhou, China, living in New York, US
“Growing up queer, I learned to conceal my identity to fit in and only open up to a few people to protect myself. I’m still in the process of realising the effect of the ongoing repression. Meeting a diverse community of loving and caring QTPOC friends in New York has transformed me. We embody freedom, solidarity and power in the way we show up for each other. We encourage each other to be the best versions of ourselves with the resources we have at the time. We learn the art of interdependence through frameworks like transformative justice.
“We are collectively tending this garden of love. It may take generations to grow solid roots, but we are here for it. With wisdom and blessings from our ancestors, we are paving ways for our future generations who hopefully will know from the start that they deserve it all.”
2. Clifford Prince King
Instagram: @CliffordPrinceKing
Age: 27
Location: born in Arizona, living in New York, US
“My hopes for the LGBTQ+ community is for an abundance of support, justice, creative recognition and prosperity on every level. There has been progress due to the courageous efforts of Black trans women—but there are still obstacles and barriers that need to be dismantled. Validating LGBTQ+ folks as pioneers and cultural shifters; normalising our existence in society is my hope as well. I hope we can continue to reclaim our history, take up space comfortably, thrive in every way, and see the fruits of our labour while we are still living.”
3. Heather Glazzard
Instagram: @Heather_Glazzard
Age: 27
Location: born in Halifax, living in London UK
“I wish LGBTQ+ rights were equal everywhere. This would set us free in the UK and beyond. My hope for the future, especially in the UK, is that this country starts to fund trans healthcare so that working-class trans people can get the life-changing surgery they need and deserve. This could have such a great impact on the community, and show that this country cares about all people, not just the white cis privileged rich.
“I want to see LGBTQ+ becoming more inclusive and centring of trans-POC voices. I’m grateful to see more trans and POC-led spaces popping up on the internet over the pandemic and hope to see these become physical spaces. There have been some Instagram pages that have been great for learning and community spaces such as @RosaKwir and @TransActualUK. It would be amazing if these became somewhere we could physically meet and learn about each other’s experiences and our own histories.”
“When looking back at the history of the LGBTQ+ movement over the past few decades, one can see that significant progress has been made, particularly when it comes to same-sex marriage. It took, and still takes, the sacrifices of so many individuals around the world who are standing up for themselves and others so that we get where we are today.
“[Referencing the above ‘love’ tattoo] L 🙁 V E! In my work, as in my life, I connect with parallel realities full of fashion and art, of sensuality, nudity and free love.”
“I hope that there will be more solidarity, support and tolerance to those belonging to every part of the LGBTQ+ community. I would love to see an end to the bullying of LGBTQ+ children and for no one to ever be punished for being themselves. Inside the LGBTQ+ community, I would hope there would be less division between different groups and less discrimination towards trans people from within our community. It goes without saying that I would hope that in the future, trans rights are protected and healthcare would be more accessible for trans individuals. Work is being done by groups to try to reform healthcare as a whole and to make it more inclusive—I would love to see this progress more. With more positive visibility and education, we can hopefully move towards a better future for everyone.”
“The queer community has a very special ability and power to hope, to have faith and to support each other no matter what. Maybe it is because, for many of us, it is a found family. These are qualities and feelings so beneficial and important to all humanity, and spreading them is the most humane act. However, much more often than could ever be fair, I see queer people scared to speak up, queer couples scared to show their love in public, be it fearing an assault or even arrest. My biggest dream is for people to stop uniting against us, and for LGBTQ+ people to keep spreading love and never be motivated by fear.”
8. Laurence Philomene
Instagram: @LaurencePhilomene
Age: 28
Location: born and living in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, Canada
“Having dedicated my practice to documenting queer lives over the past several years, making autobiographical work allows me to dig deeper into what it means to reclaim autonomy over our stories as marginalised individuals. My hope for the future is to live in a world where the gender binary isn’t upheld as an excuse for violence against those who do not fit into it. Non-binary trans people exist—we are here, and we are thriving.”
The International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) monitors and reports on LGBTQ+ rights around the world
Editor
Ryan CahillCredit
Lead image: Emmie America
