The Kids of Camp I Am

The Kids of Camp I Am is part of a decade-long series that began with, You Are You, a photo essay, monograph, and documentary, of participants at a pioneering retreat for gender-expansive children and their families called Camp I Am. With my follow-up project, The Kids of Camp I Am, my intention is to reach beyond the confines of the camp to contribute to the important discourse about support in the lives of gender-creative children, and to hear, in their own voice, from the participants a decade later. I seek to open a dialogue about how non-judgmental environments can provide crucial, life-changing support, paving a road with wide-ranging gender expressions in life.

I came to this project not just as a documenter, but as a participant. When my son was three years old, we began to notice his fascination with his reflection, teetering in my heels, the higher the heel the brighter he shone. It was through observing him as he anxiously and joyously layered on and tore off bright fabrics, all the while despairing that he was not born a girl, that I began to seek out other families with like-minded children. This resulted in my deeply personal engagement with this pioneering community.

My goal is to photograph and interview twenty-five more former campers for a book I view as an important component of the project, raising its profile and expanding its reach worldwide. The visual perspective of the project at once intimate and universal, emotionally vulnerable and heroic.

© Lindsay Morris - Elias in an outfit he designed and constructed to echo a dress worn at camp in 2011.
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Elias in an outfit he designed and constructed to echo a dress worn at camp in 2011.

© Lindsay Morris - Image from the The Kids of Camp I Am photography project
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Colorful chaos ensues moments before Elias and his fellow campers hit the stage for the long-awaited fashion show, the highlight of Camp I Am.

© Lindsay Morris - Danny relaxes on moss-covered boulders after a rigorous hike near his home (2021).
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Danny relaxes on moss-covered boulders after a rigorous hike near his home (2021).

© Lindsay Morris - Danny applies make-up (2012).
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Danny applies make-up (2012).

© Lindsay Morris - Preparing for the fashion show in one of many gowns donated to Camp I Am (2011).
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Preparing for the fashion show in one of many gowns donated to Camp I Am (2011).

© Lindsay Morris - Ryan, a former Camp I Am camper, cools off in her urban backyard pool (2021).
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Ryan, a former Camp I Am camper, cools off in her urban backyard pool (2021).

© Lindsay Morris - Ryan, a former Camp I Am camper, cools off in her urban backyard pool.
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Ryan, a former Camp I Am camper, cools off in her urban backyard pool.

© Lindsay Morris - 10-year-old Ryan and her friends participate in typical summer camp activities (2011).
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10-year-old Ryan and her friends participate in typical summer camp activities (2011).

© Lindsay Morris - Theater student, Nicole, poses on her university stage (2021).
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Theater student, Nicole, poses on her university stage (2021).

© Lindsay Morris - Nicole's first time taking the stage for the fashion show at Camp I Am (2013).
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Nicole's first time taking the stage for the fashion show at Camp I Am (2013).

© Lindsay Morris - Tavish's room (2020).
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Tavish's room (2020).

© Lindsay Morris - Tavish gazes in the mirror near a 2010 photo of her younger self at Camp I Am.
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Tavish gazes in the mirror near a 2010 photo of her younger self at Camp I Am.

© Lindsay Morris - Tavish (2010).
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Tavish (2010).

© Lindsay Morris - Stefi poses in a favorite dress and heels in the desert at sunset (2021).
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Stefi poses in a favorite dress and heels in the desert at sunset (2021).

© Lindsay Morris - Stefi in 2011 walking the fashion show runaway as family members show their support.
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Stefi in 2011 walking the fashion show runaway as family members show their support.

© Lindsay Morris - Stefi takes a moment to pose minutes before jumping on stage for the Camp I Am fashion show (2010).
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Stefi takes a moment to pose minutes before jumping on stage for the Camp I Am fashion show (2010).

© Lindsay Morris - Hannah, in a similar style dress to one that she favored at camp, sits for a portrait in her bedroom (2020).
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Hannah, in a similar style dress to one that she favored at camp, sits for a portrait in her bedroom (2020).

© Lindsay Morris - Hannah, taking some downtime with friends at camp between events (2011).
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Hannah, taking some downtime with friends at camp between events (2011).

© Lindsay Morris - Zach takes a break in Honolulu from his job as an au pair (2021).
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Zach takes a break in Honolulu from his job as an au pair (2021).

© Lindsay Morris - In front of the "Red Barn" (2010).
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In front of the "Red Barn" (2010).

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