My ongoing project is an observance of the modern-day Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender culture. According to popular culture and media influences our society co-habitats in a post-gay/post-straight society. Current perceptions reside in the belief that sexuality is fluid and no longer a categorized issue. My work addresses the notion of how gay culture is welcomed by mainstream/popular culture, however only with certain limitations. Queer culture is mainly used for entertainment value, and for exploring self- identity. When viewed outside of this realm, GLBT issues and individuals are, on the contrary, not as accepted by the greater population.

The following bodies of work are titled: “Entertain Me,” “Metrosexuals Part 1,” “Mock Ads,” and “Who’s Army?” Each series revolves around the complexities within the GLBT culture: the influence of popular culture on GLBT society and vice versa, timely contemporary social concerns, self-identification, and stereotypes. The various series illustrates the parallels between supporting and challenging this concept of a post-gay, post-straight society. Both series “Entertain Me” and “Metrosexuals Part 1” are heavily influenced by pop culture trends (namely music and fashion) where gender and self identity are accepted on shallower terms, leaving out any room for deeper thought. On the flip side the series “Mock Ads” and “Who’s Army” offers stark views of current issues facing the GLBT community preventing the post-gay/post-straight concept. Stereotyping is both played upon and challenged to empower advancement of GLBT representation within commercial advertising. I take conceptual and aesthetic inspiration from all facets of pop culture: cinema, genres of music, advertising, and current social issues in particular when visually constructing my photographs.

Through photography I blend the traditional documentary styles with staged setups. By utilizing this method, I no longer passively experience the world, but instead actively create the world. I strive for a fusion of fact and fiction to employ an arrangement of the quiet yet bold image. This gives me the freedom to set a style for any series: whether it is theatrical, deadpan, or satirical wit. My work acknowledges the difference between looking at the world and being conscious of the world, resulting in a goal to distract the eye from preconceived notions and evoke the mind to re-think and re-evaluate the world we are living in.

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