Queer Love

Queer Love is an ongoing photographic project by Vanessa Merritt that celebrates individuality and the strength and softness of queer relationships. From 2018 to the present day, they have been photographing queer people in Michigan, primarily focusing on relationships between people who are in their early adulthood. Dedicated to the politics of queer theory and social justice, the photographs in this body of work highlight the beauty and vulnerability of intimate connections, with the intent to combat homophobia and provide representation for young queer people. They hope that photographing queer relationships will help people who grew up in a time period or culture in which queerness was viewed as morally reprehensible, shameful, or damaging to society, to see the joy, humanity, and love in queer relationships, and impart them with greater compassion and tolerance for the LGBTQ community.