More About This Project
Gender identity is a beautiful and rich tapestry with a perplexing fusion and mishmash of so much more than just two shades of pink and blue. As dynamic and complex human beings, the stories woven into our collective tapestry leave us all with the freedom to embrace being a woman, being a man, being both and being anything else that our spirit is.
There are so many cultures in the world that have embraced and celebrated this diverse tapestry for several thousands of years. There are also many cultures where great efforts have been made to write gender diversity out of the mainstream script. In the United States and other countries, generations of underground efforts to share stories of real people who didn’t exist in binary boxes have started finding some space aboveground. It’s a change that is both scary and liberating for many.
This photography project highlighting all the genders has two primary purposes. The first is to make the stories of our gender diversity more visible and write the lives of gender queer people back into the mainstream script that will soon be in our history books. The second purpose is to increase understanding, tolerance and build bridges between groups who are in a traditionally defined binary gender box and the more loosely defined, fluid bubbles that many gender queer individuals may fall into.
Given many volatile political climates, these may look like naïve and insurmountable goals. But, everything comes in small steps. My approach is going to be simple: share the stories of gender diverse people and their connection to gender through photos and words – one at a time. While my primary focus will be sharing the stories of gender queer individuals (or any other term that fits your gender better), I am also photographing cisgender people (both part of the LGBTQIA+ community or otherwise) who have also put a healthy amount of thought into how their own gender identity shapes who they are.
Help me imagine a world where more of our cultures can embrace all the genders. Let’s work together to weave more of our unique colors, textures and stories into this baffling and brilliant tapestry of human life.
More About Me
I’m a pansexual, gender fluid and gender queer individual. I grew up in the tiny state of New Hampshire, and have enjoyed living all over the country since then. My past career explorations ranged from studying history, time in the military, several years as a physical therapist, and more recently enjoying a season as a park ranger in Alaska.
Photography was a hobby I took up in high school, and recently have put a lot more time into learning through doing and through working on a digital photography certificate. My first photography love is nature and wildlife (see JaymeDrewPhotography.com), and second photography love is telling stories through portraits.
If you’re interested in hearing more of my personal journey with gender identity and reading/discussion other topics related to gender, check out the “blog” section of this website and my self portraits at the bottom of the gallery section. I’m hoping to add to the conversation surrounding gender diversity in a constructive and positive way. These essays may be slow in coming as I get this project off the ground, so definitely check back in again later!