The Photographer’s Role in Shaping Gender Perspectives

March 31 marks International Transgender Visibility Day. Photography has long been used as a powerful way of exploring personal identity and expression; photography also has the power to humanize those we don’t yet understand and teach new knowledge. Today alone, Human Rights Campaign released powerful photo essays featuring six transgender and non-binary people – Allyn, Dorcas, Keelan, Micha and Samantha – and their distinctive personal experiences through photographs that captured each story vividly. I was particularly struck by how each photo captured such vivid details about each person’s lived experience vividly through their words that seemed so vividly captured their lived experiences through photos which captured all their lived experiences vividly!

At PhotoShelter, we value visual storytelling and believe in its power to bring people together through storytelling. As photographers, our duty as storytellers is to listen first before trying to tell any tale; but are we considering how our personal perspectives or experiences may impact on how we present a tale?

Danielle Villasana, an independent photojournalist based in Istanbul whose documentary work covers human rights issues related to gender, displacement and health; contributes an essay elaborating the importance of inclusive photography practices, which we published as part of The Photographer’s Guide to Inclusive Photography as part of a joint educational guide with Authority Collective. We hope Danielle’s narrative inspires you to question more carefully your storytelling practices.

Nikki Araguz Lloyd was an inspiring presence, who in 2011 I met through my personal project on LGBTQIA families in Texas. A transgender widow who lost her husband in a fire, Nikki made history when she won an appeals case that validated their marriage and secured their death benefits in court. Although Nikki fought fearlessly for trans community issues – even after tragically passing away recently- her paths will forever impactful and will always serve as inspiration in my documentary work.

Since meeting Nikki, I’ve photographed transgender communities across Latin America–the region with the highest rate of transgender homicides worldwide–from Argentina and Peru through Central America and Mexico. As an outsider in both Latin America and among trans women, I started my work by conducting extensive research into the causes and consequences of life-threatening challenges trans women are confronting in this region. As I was beginning my chapter of my project in Lima, Peru where I lived, despite my enthusiasm I didn’t immediately start taking pictures. Instead I spent my first months getting to know people better before slowly being accepted by my community. As time went on, I moved into their neighborhood and became particularly close with several residents such as Tamara and Piojo. Spending time and sharing space is essential to building lasting relationships, and those that I formed here remain strong today.

Building and fostering trust are cornerstones of any healthy relationship; photography is no exception. Receiving someone’s trust as their photographer should be honored and respected. At every point in a photographic practice, it is vital that we respect people’s wishes and communicate our intentions clearly to those you photograph. Sharing work with those you photograph can be both productive and enriching experiences for all involved. Discussion and review with women I have documented have been invaluable for how I approach and approach my work. Although photography can often be perceived as taking, one must strive to give back as much as possible through information or shared moments without picking up my camera.

Another motivation for undertaking this long-term project was the realization that most media photo stories about trans women rely on stereotypes such as sex work and pride parades in order to depict their lives. As a way of providing more context and challenging such narratives, I’ve attempted to strike a balance by documenting both trans women’s struggles with transphobia, discrimination and stigmatization as well as their joys, triumphs and relationships with friends and family in daily life. I often assess my project to ensure its safety, removing photos that could do more harm than good if taken out of context. My hope is that by providing an in-depth view of these communities, outsiders like myself will gain a fuller appreciation of not only the obstacles trans women encounter–mostly caused by society–but also of their resilience, strength, and perseverance despite such injustices.

Photojournalism initially attracted me because I believed one picture could make an impactful statement about global issues; however, through repeating cliched depictions of people and places found within media coverage of those issues we aim to highlight. In 2018, I released my debut photo book, entitled “A Light Inside,” as a culmination of years spent documenting trans women living in Lima, Peru. My aim in creating “A Light Inside” was to use it as an educational resource that could be freely disseminated amongst those who can have an immediate influence over trans women’s lives in Lima. Partnership with Leyla Huerta, a prominent trans activist from Peru who is the founder of Feminas and published an essay in “A Light Inside”, we successfully reached universities and health care facilities with our message that trans women deserve equal human rights. And if their human rights continue to be denied by people meant to protect them–lawmakers, health care workers, law enforcement officials, religious leaders–then trans women will continue suffering at an alarming rate, as most do not survive beyond 35.

“If people are dying, I am failing at my job,” stated Eduardo Matos, an infectologist from one of Lima’s premier hospitals, during one of our interviews. At the time “A Light Inside” was published, Dr. Matos informed me of Hospital Loayza’s plans to establish Lima’s first consultation area specifically dedicated to trans women healthcare services. This development represents an essential step in providing those in Lima with equal treatment and respect when seeking healthcare services for themselves or their trans partners. Moment was bittersweet as Tamara and Piojo both passed away due to AIDS at such a young age. Tamara and Piojo both experienced acts of discrimination from health care professionals that had them either waiting to seek care or discontinuing it altogether. As I thanked Dr. Matos, he thanked me instead, explaining how only after learning about my work did he become aware of the dire conditions trans women endure. Knowing photography has created positive pathways for a community brave enough to share its stories is the kind of impact and success measures we as storytellers should strive for.