pride
„I breathe, live and strive in a country where people worship gods who were androgynous and still hesitate to love thier own kind. Their own blood, their own tight friends who belong to the “minority” community, The LGBTQIA+ community. But I believe, the power, the love and affection, and the positivity spread by LGBT community will outnumber the hatred and stigmas by the 'Masculine world'. We deserve to live our own life without the need to fight any battles to survive.” Yash (20, He ), Mumbai - India, 2019
„In Myanmar LGBTQI people are still not equal and don’t have the same rights. All we want is to be respected." Honey (28, She) & Zach (29, She) , Yangon - Myanmar , 2018
„Being queer in South Africa is an experience, and there is so many factors, like location, age and race, that define it. Especially for complex South Africa, where there has been so much hardship that has happened throughout all the years. In times where there is still so much poverty, racism and inequality, queerness is something, that can be celebrated. Being queer in South Africa is a blessing but at the same time not easy. Homophobia and transphobia is still very high and corrective rape is still a thing. There are many structures, we still need to break in this country. But the sense of community and safe spaces, especially what queer people of colour, make within themselves is very beautiful. There is still a lot of change that needs to be done, from the outside and from our own community, but I have high hopes for the future.” Mziyanda (21, He/They/She) , Cape Town - South Africa, 2019
„My queerness, like everything else about me, is fluid, intangible, liminal. Ever shifting and adapting.“ Tiara (31, She), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
„The world would be a way better place, if everyone was accepted for who they are.” Hredya (19, She), Mumbai - India , 2019
„Persistence of authenticity within yourself is your greatest weapon.“ Millaa (25, He/She/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
„Being queer for me means liberation.“ Dan Ni, (24, He/They ), Hanoi - Vietnam , 2018
Nolu (24/She), Georgia (21, She/They) & Tash (29, She/They) , Cape Town - South Africa, 2019
„I am the bisexual stereotype and I love it. We are allowed to be fickle and flighty, and we owe no-one our stillness. The old pantheons were full of gender-blending bisexual tricksters - is it such a crime to follow their godly footsteps?!” David (29, They), Cape Town - South Africa, 2019
Kaiti (31, She/They) & Bex (30, She/They) Melbourne - Australia, 2016
„Being queer for me was about finding a community, a family, where I was free to express myself however I wanted and where I was surrounded by other people who were expressing themselves so authentically. Queer doesn’t look like one thing, it looks like everything.“ Erin (28/She), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
Millaa (25, He/She/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
Megan (32, She/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
„It’s taken me some time to accept myself as I am, and I think it will always be a work in progress, but I truly love my queerness, and though it comes with many challenges, I wouldn’t alter it for anything. It keeps me open to other people and to the world, and I’m so grateful to Melbourne, my family and my love, for nurturing that.“ Megan (32, She/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
Zero (34, He/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
“Fuck homophobia” Artyom (26, He), Kiev - Ukraine, 2019
Frank (40, He), Kampala - Uganda, 2019
Patrick (29, He) Hamburg, Germany, 2019
„Homophobia and transphobia may threaten my life, but I think being gay and trans has also saved my life. I was always different, even before I knew what different was, and something like that shapes you as a person. It’s made me strong and proud to be myself in the face of hardship and injustice, and it’s made me want to fight injustice in my own life and the lives of others. Even though I came out as trans more than a decade ago I’m still learning all the different ways that being a non-binary gay man and a transgender person manifest in my life and I love that! Whether I’m gay, trans, a faggot, a queer, a sissy, a poof, it’s all part of me that I love even more than the world hates it.“ August (26, He/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
Nolu (24/She), Georgia (21, She/They) & Tash (29, She/They) , Cape Town - South Africa, 2019
“ In my point of view, the LGBTQI community has a unique personality even though those characteristics might make them isolated from the society or bring them troubles. Over the past years the vietnamese society changed their mindset and became more open to the LGBTQI community. Altough it’s not considered a disease anymore, a lot of families still would not ever accept their children to identify as queer. We still fight for acceptance.“ - An (29, He/They), Ho-Chi-Minh City - Vietnam, 2018
Pyae, (21, He), Ngapali - Myanmar, 2018
„When I first started questioning my sexuality, being Bi was seen as something that girls did for attention. I knew this wasn't true, but since this was the only example of bisexuality that I knew, my earliest expressions of sexuality were very performative - the viewing pleasure of my audience became more important than my own pleasure. My teens were a confusing time... But I am slowly but surely developing a sense of self that truly belongs to me, and is not merely a performance. Finding a community of queer friends was instrumental in helping me to unpack all the confusion and shame. I am starting to integrate the knowledge that I am a woman who loves men, women, and everyone in between in a multitude of different ways. And, ultimately, the way I choose to express myself as a queer woman does not have to look a certain way - I am a woman: body hair, bushy eyebrows, hanging tits and all! Doing anything other than loving myself is just a waste of my damn time.” Nolu (24/She), Georgia (21, She/They) & Tash (29, She/They) , Cape Town - South Africa, 2019
“In Ukraine we face a lot of discrimination by simply being women, not only by just being lesbians. Which makes lesbian identity in Ukraine inseparable from feminism. I founded a lesbian* zine called "Lezo" and write about lesbian history in Ukraine. Year by year, the LGBTQI+ movement in Ukrainian, it is getting stronger.” Kateryna (28, She), Kiev - Ukraine, 2019
„I’m a self-described ‚Brooklyn-born, Taíno blooded tribal hippy goth punk witchy warrior wild child with a heart of fire. My bisexual/pansexual identity and queer expression derives from the strong, balanced coexistence and fiery duality of my Divine Feminine and Masculine energies, while also embracing all that lies in between.“ Leona (29, She), New York - United States, 2018
„I’ve always known I was different. But I think all people are. When you let go of what society expects, most of us are queer.“ Joel (22, He/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
Riley (24, They), 2019
“I guess the most important part of my “queer journey” is finding my queer family. Those babes that just get it. I have an amazing relationship with my mum but am not really in contact with the rest of my family. Finding my lil group of queerdos has been incredible for my self esteem and my sense of belonging. Being fat and queer is a challenge in itself, but I have friends who kiss my belly when I wear a crop top and amazing humans around me who constantly reinforce my strength and encourage me to live my best life. As someone who has been mentally ill since I was a child, the sense of community in queer culture has changed my life and literally given me reasons to live... and to live fucking well!!!” -Kaiti (31, She/They), Melbourne - Australia, 2016
In places like Brazil and Russia, LGBTQIA+ individuals face repression, while in countries like Australia or Germany, people openly celebrate their identity, being prominently visible in everyday life. Born in Germany, the peculiar reality that queer people encounter varying rights and acceptance based on geographical location has always struck me as absurd. Embracing the freedom of expression, I initiated a photo series in 2016, capturing members of the global queer scene. As they explore themes of performance, gender, sensuality, sexuality, and visibility, witnessing the similarities stands as a testament to the normalcy of being queer. Meeting individuals in Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Uganda, South Africa, the United States, and Germany, this ongoing project seeks to spotlight the disparities dictated by laws and celebrate the universal nature of LGBTQIA+ existence, transcending geographical boundaries.