In a hostile world, where it may possibly be dangerous to simply exist as yourself, queer spaces have long been havens of safety, freedom and self-expression without judgment; places where people may be who they’re without limits. These sacred spaces may be present in many forms, from early Twentieth-century Mafia-protected Greenwich Village bars like Provincetown Landing and The Swing Rendezvous, to the ballrooms of Harlem and Harvey Milk’s camera store in San Francisco. Sometimes, probably the most private sanctuary is the bedroom.

It’s on this space that MaryV Benoit photographed Colorado’s binder-wearing community for her recent collaboration with queer wellness brand For Them. For a number of the models it was the primary time they were being photographed of their binders. Welcomed into their homes, Benoit captured the calmness and safety that we discover in our personal refuges, something that became particularly poignant when, not long after, five people were shot and killed at Club Q, the one LGBTQ+ space in Colorado Springs. Since then, the pictures have taken on a more sobering importance.

“To see a queer person inside a secure space feeling confident, beautiful, handsome, and magical and in the identical collection mention death, tragedy, sadness and horror – that happens not only on that day but repeatedly,” Benoit tells Dazed over the phone from her home in Colorado. Though her voice stays soothingly calm throughout the interview, she holds an impassioned enthusiasm and constant support to her community. “From what I’ve seen and heard from the individuals who were a component of this [campaign], it felt like this beautiful, painful balance of like wow, we’re celebrating these images of queer joy but additionally recognizing queer pain and honor and giving space to that.”

Amid these attacks on the community, and particularly the trans members of it, the need of those secure queer spaces has develop into as clear as ever. And it’s equally as vital that the unfairness and fear people have towards the LGBTQ+ community is broken down and erased. “I feel it’s necessary for people to understand that queer bodies aren’t evil or scary. They’re just bodies,” said one model from the campaign. “Stripping away the clothing one wears that will other them as a visibly queer person leaves the person vulnerable in a way queer bodies are usually not normally allowed to be. This campaign does an incredible job at not fetishising the queer body, but showing it because it is: natural and exquisite.”

Here, we chat with Benoit on how her personal background helped her solid and photograph the series, and what she learned about queer bodies and queer wellness throughout this process.

As a model and photographer, how is your approach to modeling different from photography?

MaryV Benoit: I like taking off this interview with this query. My approach is pretty similar. I need to walk right into a space and ensure I feel secure and tender and all the things feels gentle, exciting and fun. Whether I’m in front of the camera, being a model and tapping more into my performance side of things than on my connection side, I strive for those feelings and emotions to comfort. I like making photos. Modeling is a whole lot of fun: you’ll be able to explore many sides of yourself but making photos and collaborating with someone – I feel like that’s my purpose.

How did your personal background and experiences prepare you for this shoot?

MaryV Benoit: In Recent York and growing up, I had queer people around me. I actually have been capable of take the time to listen and listen to the experience of my trans siblings and friends, including non-binary folks and folks of all different genders. As a photographer, I feel prefer it’s my responsibility in collaboration with them to do that work and to ensure it feels authentic, real and something they’ll see joy in it as well.

Creating that work throughout my time in Recent York and with different people has been preparing me. Even this shoot will prepare me for future projects. It’s a continuous learning process, collaboration and understanding of how we will higher work together and make images which can be historic or necessary for queer history. People photographed in Colorado in binders – trans and queer folks – feels special and needs to be handled with care.

How did you determine a level of trust between you and the models?

MaryV Benoit: I wanted to establish a call beforehand: a video call in the event that they felt comfortable because I desired to be transparent and lay all the things out on the table. Not only am I going to be photographing them in a vulnerable space wearing a binder but additionally inside their space. I asked everybody to select an area they felt probably the most secure. An intimate space like a bedroom which is so special: to walk into someone’s sanctuary where they sleep, reset, chill out, rejoice, perhaps cry. It’s so charged and has energy so I used to be ensuring there was respect and understanding.

I desired to thank them for having grace when entering their space. It would seem to be a serious shoot and it’s. Also, I’m just a woman and a photographer, and I’m silly. I attempt to have a moment before we start shooting with testing the lighting and making images and talk and have an in-person connection. Numerous conversations began with, ‘We’re in your space. Could you tell me a bit bit about this thing?’ A lot of these people have incredible tattoos: I like talking about tattoos!

How did you capture the protection and sanctity of those queer spaces?

MaryV Benoit: I did it through that initial conversation of like, ‘Is there anything I could do to offer more safety or more breaks?’ We could stop and go at whatever point. Every bedroom was different. Me and my photo assistant were fascinated with lighting and aesthetics for this to return together. Like what spaces of their bedroom would look best. My photo assistant was helpful and patient: letting the talent know we will haven’t any one within the room or it could just be you and me within the room. That’s how a photograph gets that feel of this slow and mild process. I’m blissful to listen to people felt that the pictures.

How do you are feeling the meaning behind these portraits has modified for the reason that Club Q shooting?

MaryV Benoit: Em, who was a component of this campaign, was in Colorado Springs and shared with me they work on the market. I responded to them to see in the event that they were secure. I had some friends affected. I had been going forwards and backwards on this project: the launch date and cutting out all of the logistics. I felt that we must always mention this, to not directly send out like to the universe through these images.

It felt heavy to incorporate this information together with these images because there’s a lot queer joy in these images. I went to considered one of the vigils for Club Q. That was beautiful and painful to see queer folks come together, hold hands, take a breath together and say we’re here. We love each other.

What’s the importance of sacred, secure spaces within the queer community?

MaryV Benoit: ​​There isn’t a denying that queer spaces, nightclubs, homes, other varieties of space have been under attack and targeted simply for being a queer space. So having sacred and secure spaces inside the queer community is super necessary. It’s what’s constructing a whole lot of queer community. People talk in regards to the physical spaces but sometimes a secure, sacred space may very well be with one other queer individual no matter where you physically are. Perhaps it doesn’t must be two people. A bunch of individuals. Energetically, queer people create secure spaces because we’ve just needed to.

It’s necessary to ensure that these spaces are being taken care of because for instance, nightclubs are the one secure spaces for some queer people and for those to be so regularly interrupted and erased almost is horrible because where do those folks turn to? A secure space may very well be an exchange of a hug, making eye contact with someone across the room and just sharing that exchange; a message ensuring that your friend got home OK. Those moments needs to be just as celebrated and just as necessary because the physical spaces that queer people construct and create and nourish.

What do you’re thinking that is widely misunderstood about queer bodies and queer wellness? How can your photography help change that misperception?

MaryV Benoit: I feel everyone thinks every queer person is comparable and everybody’s experience is similar. Every queer body and queer experience is different. Like the degrees people experience heartbreak, pain, euphoria or dysphoria are all different. The continuum is wide and fluid. That’s an enormous thing I realised with this binder project. I learned a lot. Binders aren’t just for people trying to compress or give this appearance of getting a flat chest. Like, individuals who have gotten top surgery use it for compression. People can use it for style. Individuals with a chest can bind in the future but not the opposite day.

There are incredible, phenomenal queer photographers capturing many alternative things. Having an abundance of that shows the distinctiveness and variety of life experiences and moments that queer people have. Not only one queer photographer can photograph one queer experience to encapsulate all queer life, queer love and queer joy. I feel honored and special to have my work as a queer photographer be a component of that conversation and moments.