Statement on Photography, Equality, and the LGBTQ+ Community

We are living in a time where even the subpar progress we’ve made is in danger of a rollback. In the context of equality for the LGBTQ+ community, this equality received fresh threats this week.

For those who have not read, on Monday, October 5th, Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas published new criticism of the court’s 2015 decision to legalize “same-sex marriage.” This, combined with Trump’s nomination of another anti-LGBTQ justice, Amy Barrett, and the 2020 GOP platform’s intention to eliminate marriage equality, all make for serious risks to the lives of our LGBTQ+ friends, family, and neighbors.

As a blanket statement, these statements, policies, and potential actions, made for ANY reason, are abhorrent, disgusting, and bigoted. Full stop. 

I won’t wax academic on why this is f**ked up. For one, these points have been made repeatedly, for centuries, by people much smarter and much closer to this experience. Two, I do not believe in “negotiating” or “debating” someone’s right to full humanity and dignity.

But I do think it’s important to talk about how these anti-LGBTQ sentiments operate in the photography community and our responsibility to eradicate these bigoted views.

As wedding photographers and vendors, our work matters. It carries meaning. Our work is not removed from larger political and social movements. Our images create cultural norms and expectations on what beauty and love is “acceptable” and validated. We have the power to minimize or perpetrate discrimination by how we make clients (or potential clients) feel.

In this industry, there is a lot of branding around types of love – authentic, raw, candid, intimate, joyful, etc. Yet often, the love displayed is one dimensional, with feeds depleted of any love which is not white, heteronormative, thin, and able-bodied. Photographers do not own the monopoly on what is authentic and real and intimate.

As photographers of romantic love, we have a responsibility to make this industry inclusive. We have a responsibility to end the erasure and stigmatization of LGBTQ+ love. We have the responsibility of speaking up when the rights of the LGBTQ+ community are called into question. We have the responsibility to actively unlearn our biases to create a more welcoming and inclusive experience for our clients.

We have to do better.

I say this as someone who is cognizant of how my own page lacks representation, who knows this is a problem, and who is actively working to make this better. 

Lastly, to my LGBTQ+ friends and clients: Your love is important and authentic and passionate and worthy, and I am so sorry that the world and our country tries relentlessly to tell you otherwise. I’m also so sorry for the times when I have failed to be an ally. You know this, but you deserve so much more than barebones equality. You do not deserve to have your rights debated and erased. I stand with you, and I promise to fight for you.