Ode to the queer youth

Ode to The Queer Youth examines my relationship with my sexual identity and gender expression through portraits of my peers and people I am inspired by. I was never allowed to feel secure in my identity, questions about who I was were constant at a young age. This made it difficult for me to express myself and I often felt alone in my queerness. It wasn’t until I started to find queer friends that I was able to be comfortable and secure with myself. This project is an exploration of not only my peers and my community, but also of myself and my own identity. It is important for me to photograph my queer friends because I feel they should be honored and recognized. This is my community and without them I wouldn’t have the strength or courage to feel free to express myself as a queer person.