Photographer Captures Gentleness in Queer and Trans* Men

Jess T. Dugan is an American photographer who captures intimate portraits of the LGBT community in an effort to defy stereotypes and call into question gender roles. Dugan’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout America including, the Birmingham Museum of Art.

Dugan’s collections ‘Transcendence I’ and ‘Transcendence II’ document the transgender and gender variant community. Here’s what Dugan had to say about it in a statement:

“In our society, it is assumed that there are only two genders, both of which come with very specific expectations and roles.  I aim to challenge that assumption by portraying people whose identity falls outside of these preconceived notions.  Transcendence is a collection of portraits within the transgender and gender variant community.  These photographs show that there are an endless number of gender identities, specific to each person, while illustrating that gender identity and biological sex are two distinct constructs.  More broadly, they call into question societal expectations about gender roles and how these expectations affect everyone, including those who are not a part of the transgender community.”

Dugan is currently working on a collection entitled ‘Every breath we drew’ which explores identity, desire and connection from a queer perspective.

You can and should check out both of these collections on Dugan’s website (some of the images are not safe for work).

Image: Jess T. Dugan