Andrew & Matthew - The Chattanooga Gay/Christian Community

This documentary series was made during my Junior Year in College, while I was in Documentary Photography and Advanced Darkroom Techniques. I had the opportunity to document some of the men of the Chattanooga LGBT community. My focus was on Andrew and Matthew, two men who, at the time, had been partners for 5 years. I met them through an event sponsored by Tennessee Valley Pride (TVP), an organization that rallies together those in the LGBT community in the Tennessee Valley area for the purpose of social activism and pride as well as connects others who wish to associate with the community. Matthew and Andrew graciously let me into their home and told me their stories. These photos are a reflection of the way the LGBT community is treated and the way that they are standing up for themselves with love in their hearts instead of anger and malice. 

The LGBT community has faced and continues to face some of the worst discrimination in this country. They are often expelled from otherwise loving homes and shunned by their friends and family. Men and women around the world choose to identify with the LGBT community and often do so alone. Where it exists, the community has done a fantastic job of rallying around those who stand alone and supporting them through their trials. I was able to witness the comradery exemplified in this community first hand. The love and acceptance within the community has almost no rival. 

My objective in this project was to demonstrate to the evangelical church that these people who identify in this way have not stopped being human beings. At no point does anyone somehow lose their humanity in the process of identifying as gay. So often the church, as a whole, has demonized those in the LGBT community and in doing so has completely disinterested them in the idea of Jesus Christ. The question I wanted to pose to the church was this: 

"What would happen if the church loved the LGBT community with the same passion and zeal that the LGBT community loves the LGBT community?"

This question is not to bring into discussion the matter of doctrine stating whether or not homosexuality is a sin. It is merely posed as a change of attitude towards those the church is biblically commanded to serve and love. Because they are still people and should be seen as such, they are inherently deserving of respect and honor as fellow human beings who also bear the Image of God.