Year of Queer

12/09/2016

Roxana // 35 // Tehran, Iran //

{+}
The best part of my gender is that I can better understand how essential it is to explore authenticity in life. Expressing, enjoying, and embracing my femininity as I'm moving through my medical and social transitioning means to responsibly be authentic to myself and society. In addition, the most beautiful element of my female gender is exploring care and empathy towards others. For me, connection, togetherness, and growth in my le***an love journey will be the most beautiful elements of my le***an orientation.

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One of my ongoing obstacles is that my true self is challenged quite often. Coming out to family and extended family is extremely difficult.

25/07/2016

Dhruv // 34 // Bangalor, India //

{+}
"The best part of my q***r identity is not giving a s**t what other people think."

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"The worst part is living in a country where parts of my identity are still illegal, and having to come to Berlin to celebrate Pride."

11/07/2016

ND Anderson // 27 // Brussels, Belgium // www.superboymusic.com

{+}
The best part of being gay and part of q***r community is that you can be fabulous all day, shine brightly, be open minded in a world of open minded people, and you can love and embrace yourself and everyone around you.

{-}
Like most g**s, I've been bullied my entire childhood, and even today I get some of that type of behavior. But I'm a singer, and I use my stage to promote equality, being a voice for all those people who don't have their own yet.

03/07/2016

Cleo // 22 // Northampton, Massachusetts //

{+}
I love my q***rness. Not q***r like gay. Q***r like escaping definition. Q***r like some sort of fluidity and limitless at once. Q***r like a freedom too strange to be conquered. Q***r like the fearlessness to imagine what love can look like and pursue it.

{-}
The hardest part about being q***r is having to challenge binaries constantly, whether or not I feel like I have the strength to. To balance mestiza identity with q***rness while never truly feeling like I fit in, but at the same time feeling truly compelled to change the world around me.

02/07/2016

Ramiz // 22 // Baku, Azerbaijan //

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"I would say my passion for learning more about the LGBTQ community, my willingness and drive to be a part of it, and to experience different things within the community. But also to teach others about what it means to be an LGBTQ person through the different communities that I am a part of."

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"Finding acceptance in a space where others understand what it means to be different- that's definitely difficult. But also learning the kosher ways to increase visibility."

01/07/2016

Ziv // 21 // Israel //

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I think the most beautiful thing that I've learned being a part of the LGBTQ community is to be accepting. When you are used to being different, some way or another, you learn to accept any one else who is also different from what our society defines as "normal". I've always believed, and still do, that we are all human beings before we are anything else. We need to love each other understanding we are all going through similar difficulties in life, we are all born the same, love the same, hurt the same and die the same. And we should live the best life we can with joy. The LGBTQ community allows you to be yourself the way you want to without being judged.

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I think that the most difficult thing about me loving girls is the fact that I have to think twice before I can tell the person standing in front me that I have a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend. People still don't understand the fact that me being in love with a girl is no different than if I were in love with a boy. Love is love. Like almost any gay, I was once called awful names, and in high school a group of mean teenagers from my class decided it would be ok to break a chair on my back - the only reason being that I had a girlfriend. I feel pity for people who can not love everyone like I can, knowing that people full of hate also hate themselves.

30/06/2016

Harry // 26 // Milwaukee, Wisconsin //

{+} One of the most beautiful elements of my identity is that I've inspired my mother to become an advocate for LGBTQ youth.

{-} One of the more challenging aspects of my identity would be not fitting in to any of the most desirable gay archetypes. On the one hand, I've never been one to conform in general, so in some ways, it's a reassurance that I'm unique and amazing, but it can also be difficult to navigate the q***r dating world when you don't fit into people's expectations of what a male bodied person looks and acts like.

www.harryjameshanson.com

29/06/2016

Hannah // 31 // New Jersey //

{+}
Why am I visibly trans? Because not hiding my past might help someone else stop hiding their future.

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Sometimes I feel like my existence is predicated on others affirmations. It hurts because, I'm right here. I can tell you what and who I am. For you to tell me anything otherwise just for being different is a sad reality...

28/06/2016

Joshua // 26 // Indiana //

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" I think the most beautiful thing about being q***r is accepting others for who they are and not limiting myself to one type of person. It provides the opportunity to help others who have struggled with feeling accepted, and opens a community of friends to confide in and be a light in each others lives.

{-}
The most challenging element of my identity is struggling with how other people perceive me. After the initial challenge of coming out and interacting with other q***r individuals, you realize there's a lot of homophobia and racism within the gay community itself. Sometimes you begin to doubt who you are because of the standards of the community - should I workout more...is my femininity preventing me from love? Weaving your way through the maze of other q***r folks, their identities, and expectations, and trying to figure out if you're ok with who you are is a constant struggle. But, I'm learning that the healing and growing can only start from within. It's as constant as breathing. "If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here?"

Year of Q***r ***r

27/06/2016

Arya // 30 // Los Angeles //

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"The most beautiful element of being q***r is realizing that any struggle I've experienced related to my identity is at the core of who I am and what I stand for. I could never separate the person I am today from the rollercoaster journey of coming into my full authentic self. While it was surly lonely and challenging at times, the journey of finding, understanding, and establishing my true self is the most empowering gift I've ever earned in my life. I hope to share my story as widely as possible to help others recognize their own unique gifts as well."

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"The most challenging element of my q***r identity is trying to reconcile celebrating my freedom and authenticity, while knowing that others are suffering everyday simply for being their LGBTQ selves. I could be joyously marching in a Pride parade at home while a person is hung for the "crime" of who they are. It's crazy to consider, and even more impossible to process. I wish that every LGBTQ person in a position to help lift up and support another would make the most sincere effort to do just that, and that our allies would follow suit. This combined effort would expedite the invariably 'too long and too late' time frame it'll take for world populations to understand our identities which are so natural to us and this world."

27/06/2016

***r ***r

• Know us for what we stand for, accept us for who we are •

Inspired by my ongoing journey within my first full year out of the closet, this project hopes to bring greater understanding, awareness, and acceptance of LGBTQ people by asking members of the community two simple questions:

+ What is the best/most beautiful/enjoyable element of your q***r identity?

- What is the most difficult/challenging/or least enjoyable element of your q***r identity?

Our individual stories and our collective visibility will speak for themselves.

To join the project, be featured, or with any questions, please email YearOfQ***[email protected], and make sure to follow us on!

- Instagram: www.instagram.com/YearOfQ***r
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/YearOfQ***r

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