Joy & Remembrance: W‘s Favorite Photographers Celebrate LGBT Pride Through Their Pictures
The month of June in the United States is reserved to celebrate Pride, in all its sexual and gender expressions, and to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in New York, a turning point in the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. It’s an occasion of joy and also remembrance, for all the progress made since 1969 and all the progress still left to fight for. In the lead up to the pride parades this weekend in San Francisco and New York, W asked its favorite photographers to express in one, unpublished image what pride means to them. For Bruce Weber, it’s turning his lens on pioneering LGBT activists like Edie Windsor. For Thomas Whiteside, it seems to be photographing his boyfriend, the model Michael Bailey-Gates, in the nude. WhileOlivia Bee, for her part, turned to kids in love and Steven Klein showcased how gender often isn’t as straightforward as we think. See their images, plus Andy Warhol‘s snapshot from an ’80s era New York pride parade, here.
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Photo by Tyler Mitchell. Creative direction Tyler Mitchell and Noah Dillon.
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“Warhol always knew a great beauty when he saw one.” Jack Pierson, Tabboo!, Hapi Phace, and Jimmy Paul at an NYC pride parade in 1983. Photo by Andy Warhol.
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Photo by Steven Klein.
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Edie Windsor in Montauk in 2013. First published in All-American Journal. Photo by Bruce Weber.
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“‘Kiki’ is a world where LGBTQ youths of color are empowered by staging dance competitions. It provides a safe haven, love and support for queer, trans gender, black and Latino young people. Kiki is a political statement. I photographed these Kiki dancers at the premier of the movie ‘Kiki’ in East Harlem in 2016.” Photo by Janette Beckman.
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Ben in Arad, July 2016. Photo by Mayan Toledano.
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Photo by Olivia Bee.
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Michael, 2015. Photo by Thomas Whiteside.
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Photo by Olivia Malone.
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Ava McAvoy. It was a collaboration. One of many with Nicola Formichetti. First published in Free Magazine, March 2016. Photo by Richard Burbridge.
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“Terri Toye was our muse and the fav of Stephen Sprouse – even did the catwalk for chanel in Paris! At age 16 she opted to become a girl! Transgender is not new neither is a trend! Terri Toye is now active in Reconstructing houses damaged by Hurricanes down south I styled her as a girl the first times she needed those clothes!” -Maripol. Photo by Maripol.
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Swim at Dusk, Cuba 2015. Photo by Sean and Seng.
