Tag Archives: portraits

Mauricio, Fashion Blogger, Panama City

photo by Kevin Truong

Mauricio, in his own words “Homosexuality has always been stigmatized in latino American countries, so coming out in a country like Panama was not an easy ride. The thought of not being loved by even one of my parents scared me to death and made me hesitate whether I had to tell them or not. My mother was the first to know, she cried and demanded an explanation on why I was this way, is there an explanation on why are we the way we are?

It took a while for the wound to heal, I am now happy that my mother and I have a really strong relationship, despite the normal fights and discussions a mother and a son have I would dare to say our bond has gotten stronger and stronger with the time and even though she is still reluctant with the way of living gay people have she is my cane and my leaning shoulder as is my dad, who has always supported me from the beginning, he even asks me in family lunches if I am ever going to introduce him to a boyfriend, it’s good to know people really love you for who you are and appreciate self honesty.

I am really proud to have great and very talented gay friends in my country, they are such an inspiration for me to try to be a better person and to spread equality in such a little country as Panama, whilst always keeping up with the fast development it is having as a modern metropolis, often called the Hong Kong of Latin America. We still have a lot to fight, people care a lot about what others think and since everyone knows everyone, gossip can be a very tough thing to handle and battle. But after all we are a growing community that has risen up from all the prejudices and have battled the sticks and stones that marked our lives and that’s what life’s about, rising up from our sufferings, learning from them and making the world a better place for us all.

photo by Kevin Truong

Michael, Freelance Assassin/Comedienne, New York City

photo by Kevin Truong

Michael, in his own words: “My baby blanket was a giant quilted rainbow. At age 6, I met the first boy who seemed to have the same abnormal interests as me, developing what I now recognize as my first crush. At 8, while watching an episode of Dawson’s Creek with my sister, I learned what being gay was and thought to myself, “I think I have that.” At 10, my sister and I choreographed full roller blade routines to the Backstreet Boys Millennium album. At age 11, I read the first Harry Potter book and felt an immediate kinship with Albus Dumbledore. At 12, I Googled gay porn for the first time, gave the family computer its first virus and learned how to remove said virus from the computer all within two hours. At 13, I made every excuse I could think of to not hold my middle school girlfriend’s hand. At 15, I created my first female World of Warcraft character. At 16, I finally confirmed what everyone else had undoubtedly figured out over a decade previously and came out of the closet. And now, nearly seven years later, here I am living in New York City with an ever-growing collection of bow ties and an unhealthy fondness for romantic comedies.

What I like most about being gay is never having to feel embarrassed about anything.”

Yubi, Architecture Student, New York City

photo by Kevin Truong

Yubi, in his own words: “Dear Kevin,

“What does being gay mean to you?”

It is the first sentence in the questionnaire you have sent me. After the photo shoot, for the past few days, I have been having intense introspective thoughts on what it means to be a gay man. It is a question I had never tried to answer before, consciously and subconsciously. Not that I wanted to repress my sexuality, I think it was that I was afraid to give a definite label to my own identity.

After the days of self-examination, I came to a conclusion that my answer to the said question is ‘I do not know’. It is a vague concept that is still hard for me to grasp and give a clear description to. All I know at this point is that being gay is a significant and important part of me that affects me as a person one way or another. It is something I will know more and more, day after another. It will be a long journey that may be bumpy at times. Maybe I will never figure it out, know the absolute truth. And I will be fine with that, as long as I feel comfortable in my own skin and am proud of my orientation.

I thank the Gay Men Project for giving me this chance to sincerely evaluate who I am as a gay man, as a person, for the first time in my life. It feels great to know that there are people out there supporting my journey of finding myself.

Thank you,
Yubi.”

THE GAY MEN PROJECT

The visual catalog of gay and queer men around the world.

Tag Archives: portraits

Mauricio, Fashion Blogger, Panama City

Michael, Freelance Assassin/Comedienne, New York City

Yubi, Architecture Student, New York City