Resemblance

This series documents my partner, a transgender father raising a son, during a critical period for trans life in the United States.

"Resemblance" documents my queer family and especially my partner, a transgender dad who is raising a son together with me. While some important images of gay and lesbian parents exist, trans families with children are hugely underrepresented in photography.  Right now, legislation in the United States is attacking trans people and invoking the old stereotype that they can’t be trusted around children. This series is a response – a real family affected by these politics -- that doesn’t try to make our family seem respectable or normal, or to erase our differences from cis/straight society. But it does try to think about what makes a family and what it is to be a father. I hear all the time from young trans people that they don’t expect to live long enough to reach middle age. This series, in part, offers a visual testament that LGBTQ+ people can survive to adulthood, and they can create whatever kind of families they want and have kids of their own, if they want. Trans people do suffer disproportionately, but trans life can also be full of safety and care, and liberation can happen through our daily lives. These photos are about the dangers and possibilities of being looked at during a critical time for trans life.