A groundbreaking new book titled "Queer Lens" explores the transformative power of photography and its crucial role in increasing visibility for the LGBTI community. The comprehensive study examines how this art form has been instrumental in documenting, celebrating, and strengthening queer culture and identity across multiple generations.
Photography's ability to capture subjects and reality, or at least an approximation of it, has been intrinsically linked to the construction and expression of identity since its inception. Since the invention of the camera in 1839, and despite periods of intense queerphobia and discrimination, photography as an art form has been utilized by and for people from the LGBTI community to showcase and support queer culture and identity in all their diverse facets.
"Queer Lens: A History of Photography" features essays from leading scholars and artists who examine the multifaceted expressions of queer culture through the photographic medium. The contributors celebrate complex interpretations of people and relationships while actively resisting rigid definitions and stereotypical representations of LGBTI individuals and communities.
The book presents a rich selection of powerful images that span decades of queer history and experience. These include intimate portraits of queer individuals, visual documentation of chosen family relationships and queer kinship structures, and compelling documentary photographs of early queer groups, organizations, and protest movements. Through this extensive visual collection, the publication examines photography's profound role in illuminating the vibrant diversity and resilience of the LGBTI community.
The comprehensive 342-page book, written in English, was published in June 2025 by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. This significant publication is available in both hardcover and e-book formats, making this important historical documentation accessible to a wide range of readers interested in LGBTI history, photography, and cultural studies.
