"No Femmes. No Fats"—When I started making profiles on gay dating apps as a teenager, I came across this phrase frequently, branding me and my body as unwelcome within my own community. As a queer individual navigating the labyrinth of a having a non-normative body and invisible disability, this rejection ignited a profound internal conflict between my queerness and my body.

Unaffixed emerged as a testament to this struggle, initially manifesting as self-portraiture—an act that felt almost self-destructive due to years of body shaming. However, I unearthed a pathway of visually exploring non-normative queerness through absurdity, humor, and play. The series eventually moved beyond self-portraiture. It began to feel too personal, so I shifted the focus to other queer individuals, with me occasionally stepping into the frame alongside them. I rarely arrive with a concrete idea of what the photographs will look like, instead, we work together to create the images in the moment. Set within familiar spaces such as their homes, these photoshoots are spontaneous and playful, and we primarily use elements from their environment. This series not only cultivates a sanctuary of queer collaboration and play, but also defies the conventional sexualized gaze prevalent in contemporary queer photography.

Despite living in New York City, my work resists metronormativity—the notion that queer expression is confined to major city centers. By venturing into small towns and rural territories, such as my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I seek to celebrate the vibrant and often overlooked queer communities thriving in these locales.

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

Archival pigment prints, various sizes between 16 x 20 inches and 32 x 40 inches.