Just As We Are
By Keith Boykin, in sexuality
Thursday, December 15 2005, 12:13PM
I first met Charlie T back in Detroit in the 1998. I was dating Oddis Mitchell at the time and Charlie asked to photograph us. Since that time, Oddis and I broke up, Charlie left Detroit and moved to New York, and I left Washington and moved to New York as well. Now Charlie and I are neighbors.
So when Charlie asked me to take part in a new photo exhibit she was producing, I had to say yes. The result is a collection of 25 portraits of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans called "Just As We Are," and it focuses on people at work, in black-and-white portrayals of their personalities and professions. "These pictures portray our work and who we are," says Charlie T (also known as Charzette Torrence). The exhibit includes dancers, authors, activists, elected officials and others.
"I just got tired of the media portrayal of gay people," Charlie T explains. That's what motivated her to do the project.
The show opened Dec. 8 at the 96th Street branch of the New York Public Library, and runs through Jan. 21, 2006. Torrence plans to compile her work into a coffee-table book.
"Just As We Are" is a project of Charlie T. Photography and Todd Roulette Fine Art. For more info, check out www.todroulettefineart.com.
Comments conceal
Kenneth Winfrey
December 16 2005, 12:44AM
As an artist, I find it refreshing to see when we remember to observe the power of creativity in our communities. We should all know that homosexuals and people of color people have almost single-handedly given the civilized world its beauty. Yet art is not just about beauty. It's about sharing perspectives and looking at the world through the kaleidoscope of diversity among individuals. It's also a magnificent way to take a break from the trival half-truths, politics, and right vs. wrong editorials to enjoy modes of expression that exist beyond those limitations.
norge
December 16 2005, 2:51PM
I think we can recognize the artistic contributions of GLBT folks and straight people of color without making the claim of "almost single-handedly given the civilized world it's beauty".
Kenneth Winfrey
December 16 2005, 4:07PM
More importantly, I am reminded of a conversation I had with a friend a few days ago. I am also reminded of the debate that had taken place over self-identification (gay, bi, SGL, etc.) My friend is a woman who has had her first intimate relationship with another woman. The relationship lasted for several months, and she is still quite deeply in love. She called me after so many years to ask me if that meant that she was "gay." She said that she didn't want to identify herself this way because when she thought "gay," she thought about bars, Pride parades, and those things had nothing to do with what she had experienced. She also said that she didn't want to describe herself in ways that negate the tremendous affection for men she still has (and will always have).
I acknowledged her concerns about all of that, being "labeled," and her resistance to reduce an experience so unique for her into a simple word like "gay," "lesbian," or "bi-sexual. Yet, I could do little to help her overcome the limited associations she had with those words. We tossed "SGL" around for a while, but I can't say that she found comfort there either. So, I encouraged her to be free to describe herself any way she wants because any of these terms can be hijacked by political causes that may have little or nothing to do with her as an individual. I also tried to encourage her to expand her definitions of these terms, rather than rendering them obsolete because even those of use who use these terms often feel that they fail to tell the entire story of who we are.
That's what we all need to do. Even though I probably won't get to see it, this exhibit apparently seeks to encourage it. Thanks to the artist--regardless of her ethnicity or sexual orientation--for that.
NancyP
December 16 2005, 8:02PM
The woman friend who doesn't want to think of herself as gay needs to attend a Pride parade and look around at the watching crowd and the non-bar-float members of the parade, just to see the variety of people identifying as LGBT. Young, old, exhibitionist, conservative-dressing, gym bunnies, bears, transwomen who dress like your mother, drag queens and kings, country folk, fashionable urbanites, lesbian moms, gay dads, pastors, congregants, nurses, doctors, scientists, amateur musicians, amateur rodeo riders, political geeks, retired veterans, folks who work at major corporations, realtors, innumerable dog owners (local parade ends in a park), .....
j-1-shot
December 17 2005, 8:01PM
Gosh, she looks like Robin Quivers
Texas76132
December 18 2005, 8:46AM
I would love to see this on the form of a coffee table book. I'm looking for something just like that now.
un_escritor_negro
December 19 2005, 12:37PM
Ms.Charlie T has a great smile and lips. A peaceful face. She's much prettier than Quivers.
Laura
December 22 2005, 6:05AM
kenneth said, "I acknowledged her concerns about all of that, being "labeled," and her resistance to reduce an experience so unique for her into a simple word like "gay," "lesbian," or "bi-sexual. Yet, I could do little to help her overcome the limited associations she had with those words. We tossed "SGL" around for a while, but I can't say that she found comfort there either."
you have a lot more patience than i do. i have dated women like this and they drive me nuts either by trying to force some butch/femme binary on me and getting angry because nothing sticks, or picking fights about WHY they shouldn't be called gay or lesbian or go to pride or put a rainbow on their car etc., though i don't do any of the above, myself. in fact, i started going out with DL women because "the lesbians" notoriously are incapable of dealing with women who like men like myself, or people who otherwise do not conform to a certain way of live.
so at this point i'm giving up. heterosexual males are out of the question, as their ignorance, violence, fetishes and other hangups far outweigh both DL and Lesbian Fundamentalist women combined.
just a personal aside. the problem is with her, and there is no way around that -- eveb if general homophobia were to come grinding to a halt at 5:00 PM today, the labeling issue would still be there. there is always the option of no label - she can very easily say hey, i have girlfriends and i have boyfriends and let everyone else figure it out.
but this doesn't generate an argument, where they can blast their hangups, so as in one case i'm thinking, the advice was not followed lol