B.
Proud

First Comes Love

The "First Comes Love" Project explores relationships in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) communities across the nation, beginning in the local geographic region and then expanding across the country to show that allowing same-gender marriage will pose no threat to the 'sanctity of the marriage". The project's goal is to photograph same-sex couples who have been in long term relationships and to create an expressive portraits to represent, in each relationship, the depth, the seriousness, and the love between two people who have made a commitment to one another. Portraits are presented in black and white to further break down the stereotypes in a society where homosexuality is often characterized by drag queens, gay pride parades, and rainbow flags. The people represented in this project live ordinary lives made extraordinary by their endurance of the attitudes and policies that society directs against them.
The work also features video interviews to accompany the photographs and will also stand alone to tell the story of the each couple in a multi-media approach, showing a broad spectrum of the GLBT community and presenting an intimate view of each couple in their separate interviews as they share the landmarks of their journeys. When the work is complete, it will show a group of people as diverse as the human race itself yet who share the common bond of what it takes to commit to a lifetime of love. This project will focus on the positive nature of same-sex relationships and will highlight the similarities-the equality, if you will, between heterosexual marriage and the GLBT experience. The project will show a side of the story of the GLBT experience that has not yet been told"¦the one that shows already existent long-term dedicated relationships, ones that are in no way a threat to families or traditional marriages. The "First Comes Love" Project hopes to be a book, video and traveling exhibition. A website is in development that will provide a teaching resource for our communities and schools and allow couples to share their stories.nn