I must admit, I'm not a big fan of Pride parades. From a visual standpoint, it all seems redundant and excessive. Drag queens, "barely there" outfits, bumping 'n grinding atop floats, rainbow flags and tired politicians looking for a photo-op have all lost their luster to me. Every year, I try to focus on an intimate and africentric aspect of NYC Pride. Last year, I photographed young black lesbians on the pier in a post I titled "Black Sexuality" (July 2006 post on this blog). This year, without being overwhelmed, I sought out representative portraits of the black gay community out at Pride (not to be mistaken with Pride in the City which is this August). Pride is a predominately white event, but make no mistake, we are out there! Below are a few pictures of black and latino men "out and about" at Pride. Click to ENLARGE. Enjoy!
Couples. Photographing couples is one of my favorite and most important aspects of documenting the black gay community. We simply don't see enough images of same gender love. Here, a handsome Latino couple display their love and pride.
Floating.
Pride Commerce. "Vendors" use Pride as an opportunity to make a buck.
$1 Pride. Rainbow flags (and Pride) for sale.
"Bodied". Part of Pride (for some) is displaying the gym body for all to admire.
Pride Urbanwear. Sexuality is at its peak at Pride. With so many men to see, we certainly need something to be SEEN. The ubiquitous thong and sagging jeans is the unofficial uniform for many young gay men at Pride.
Pier Crowd. Many of our "folk" gather on the pier, under beautiful blue skies.
Drag Queen. Photographing a drag queen at Pride is such a cliché to me. So I took ONE photo. After all, this Latina put her heart and soul into the makeup and displayed a smile as effervescent as her feathered and sequined headdress. Beautiful!
Cruising the Photog. As I scanned the crowd with my lens, I caught the eye of this handsome brotha, and he caught mine. The cruising at Pride can be downright overwhelming as there are so many beautiful men (and women) to behold.
"Yeah, I'm interested". I stayed on this brotha (with my camera), and this was the very next shot. Notice how his expression changes to form a smile? When cruising, that's the tell-tale sign that someone is interested, provided you can get and hold their attention.
His dimpled smile here was infectious--third shot and I was about to walk over and introduce myself. That is, until I was grabbed from behind and distracted by an old school friend of mine who hadn't seen me in years. After brief chatter (and shrieking), I turned around and the brotha had disappeared into the crowd. But I know I'll see him again.
SGLove. Pride is one of the few occasions that couples feel comfortable (and safe) displaying their love and affection for one another in public. Here, the young handsome couple strike a tender pose for the photog.
Pride Sexiness. Pride also offers the opportunity for freedom of creativity and expression, especially for youth.
"I Remember". In all the hoopla and frenetic energy of Pride, I paused briefly to remember Rashawn Brazell.
Tatyana, picture of youth and colorful beauty at Pride.
