“No Femmes. No Fats”—Seeing this phrase on gay dating apps as a teen marked me and my body as unwelcome. As a queer individual with a fat body and invisible disability, this rejection ignited an internal conflict between my body and my queerness.

My work emerged from this struggle, initially as self-portraiture—which felt almost self-destructive due to years of body shaming. However, I began to understand my queerness photographically through absurdity, humor, and play. Finding self-portraiture too personal, I shifted to include other queer individuals. Collaboration then became essential to my work. I rarely arrive with a concrete plan—rather, we work together to shape each photograph organically in the moment. Set within familiar and intimate spaces such as the participants’ homes, these spontaneous and playful sessions draw from their environments.

Although I live in NYC, I aim to oppose metronormativity—the idea that free queer expression is confined to major cities. By focusing my work in small towns and rural areas, like my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the heart of Amish Country, I highlight the vibrant and overlooked queer communities thriving in these areas.

My photographs exist in a realm of ambiguity, between reality and fantasy. They are not rigid definitions, but fluid reflections of the transitional space of queerness. Spontaneity, collaboration, intimacy, play, humor, and absurdity all permeate throughout my work, echoing the boundless dynamism of non-normative queer existence.

Archival pigment prints