In 2023, at least 32 people were killed in the United States ostensibly for being transgender. There were likely more deaths motivated by transphobia that were simply not recorded as such. In July of 2023, O'Shae Sibley was murdered outside a Brooklyn gas station for openly dancing and showcasing queer joy with his friends. Countless children are being attacked by legislation barring gender-affirming healthcare. In America, in 2024, it feels increasingly unsafe to be queer or trans.
This project seeks to explore that lack of safety, and began with thoughts of "Can we just live?" that I could not ignore. Using my medium format digital camera, I have been making portraits of LGBTQ folks simply living. I have documented participants sitting on their front steps, riding their bicycles, commuting to their jobs. I have photographed friends and neighbors, living their lives and their truths. These images hold power on their own, but I then make another frame with the subject gone from the image, speaking to the literal and figurative erasure of queer lives. The empty space where a human being once stood is a powerful reminder of what’s at stake if queer lives are erased.
